Welcome from the Head of School - In Focus March '18

The way we use language shapes society. This month we are delighted to be hosting two distinguished visitors to the School of Languages and Cultures who will be addressing this important theme. Professor Jef Verschueren from the University of Antwerp (Belgium) is a leading international figure in Pragmatics (the scientific study of language use), and Associate Professor Galina Bolden from Rutgers University (USA), is a leading international researcher in Conversation Analysis (the scientific study of social interaction). Professor Verschueren will be giving a public lecture on the role of ideology in public discourse, and Associate Professor Bolden will be giving a public lecture on the enactment of culture through conversational repair. I hope you will have the opportunity to join us for both of these events.

In other news, we recently had the pleasure of hosting a symposium, “Unlocking the International Possibilities of Shōjo Studies”. You can hear more about the event in a specially recorded podcast. You can also read more - in Russian or in an English translation provided by our dynamic new lecturer in Russian, Dr Anna Mikhaylova - about the experiences of a delegation of students from our Russian program who attended the World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow and Sochi in late 2017.

We thank you for your continuing interest and support for the School of Languages and Cultures.